Why do christians believe in god?

[kilese]

I want to know how, in this modern world, people still worship a god. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't even try to believe it. I see no logic in it at all, to believe in a magical being that lives in the clouds. You can't possibly truly believe in it all. If you do, then humans are more clueless than i thought. Why worship someone who lets children starve everyday? If he has the power to stop it, and doesn't, then he is malevolent. But if he doesn't have the power, he is not a god. And if god created freewill and is omnipotent, then he would already know about all the horrible things in the world that would happen, and could have stopped it. And if he's omnipotent, whats the point of praying? Your prayers would have already been heard. And no one's prayers have been answered, so he is not worth worshiping, and therefore, is not a god. I'm not try to attack anyone, i just can't understand how anyone can believe all this.

[Miles]

How they can do it is because they need to do it. Life is simply too difficult to deal with without a security blanket of some kind, and god need not cost a penny. Contradiction and absurdity are not allowed to interfere, so expecting logic to come into play is a waste of time.

Think of the operative agent as psychology, not reason.

[kilese]

I'd say my life has been pretty difficult, but I've never felt the need to turn to a god. I just can't get how people can just accept religion, and not constantly question it in their head. I like the idea of there being a god, if there is, then that's awesome, but i just can't believe there is one.

[Flail]

I think believing in a god is much easier if you have been subject to indoctrination,dogma and rituals from an early age or while in the depths of pain or difficulty. Some christians say: 'just let yourself go and have faith and just believe." I find such an approach to anything dangerous and against my personality and character. I think it is dishonest and mindless. If something doesn't appeal to my reason,logic and common sense; if something has no evidence and finds its support in dogma, ritual and membership, I try to avoid it...and when it pretends to divide us into classes...the special and the damned, I fight against it.

[JohnnyJersey]

I don't understand how anyone can be so arrogant and ignorant as to think that the world ends with what they can sense and that there not only is not but can't be a crucial reason behind the existence of everything. Well, I guess I kind of understand it; there are many people who lack the ability to think philosophically and question beyond what they're told are certain limits in the world, i.e. that which can be sensed and observed.

Furthermore, I can't understand how people who live their lives on faith in what others claim to have observed and the stories and tales told by those people would be able to turn around and criticize others for doing the same without realizing what bleedingly ignorant hypocrites they are.

Then again, there are just a lot of ignorant, uneducated people out there who never study anything yet bash what they don't know - and the irreligious fall into that category.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 5:

I don't understand how anyone can be so arrogant and ignorant as to think that the world ends with what they can sense and that there not only is not but can't be a crucial reason behind the existence of everything.

Why would it not be arrogant to propose there's something beyond what can be sensed?

How can one know what can't be sensed?

Well, I guess I kind of understand it; there are many people who lack the ability to think philosophically and question beyond what they're told are certain limits in the world, i.e. that which can be sensed and observed.

What do you propose is beyond what can be sensed and observed?

Furthermore, I can't understand how people who live their lives on faith in what others claim to have observed and the stories and tales told by those people would be able to turn around and criticize others for doing the same without realizing what bleedingly ignorant hypocrites they are.

Your failure to understand why folks don't believe claims of dead folks rising, or animals talking, or folks walking on water is your own issue.

Show me evidence these things occur and I'll go to believing with you.

Then again, there are just a lot of ignorant, uneducated people out there who never study anything yet bash what they don't know - and the irreligious fall into that category.

Then perhaps you're not so "ignorant or uneducated" that you can't proffer verifiable evidence for your favored god?

Let's see who's "ignorant or uneducated".

[Flail]

I don't understand how anyone can be so arrogant and ignorant as to think that the world ends with what they can sense and that there not only is not but can't be a crucial reason behind the existence of everything. Well, I guess I kind of understand it; there are many people who lack the ability to think philosophically and question beyond what they're told are certain limits in the world, i.e. that which can be sensed and observed.

Furthermore, I can't understand how people who live their lives on faith in what others claim to have observed and the stories and tales told by those people would be able to turn around and criticize others for doing the same without realizing what bleedingly ignorant hypocrites they are.

Then again, there are just a lot of ignorant, uneducated people out there who never study anything yet bash what they don't know - and the irreligious fall into that category.

...and I agree....which is why life is so interesting and fulfilling in its questions and searches and challenges...there is so much to learn and understand...particular god indoctrinations tend to take sutch things as that out of life.

[DavidBG]

I want to know how, in this modern world, people still worship a god. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't even try to believe it. I see no logic in it at all, to believe in a magical being that lives in the clouds. You can't possibly truly believe in it all. If you do, then humans are more clueless than i thought. Why worship someone who lets children starve everyday? If he has the power to stop it, and doesn't, then he is malevolent. But if he doesn't have the power, he is not a god. And if god created freewill and is omnipotent, then he would already know about all the horrible things in the world that would happen, and could have stopped it. And if he's omnipotent, whats the point of praying? Your prayers would have already been heard. And no one's prayers have been answered, so he is not worth worshiping, and therefore, is not a god. I'm not try to attack anyone, i just can't understand how anyone can believe all this.

Christians don't believe hardly any of the above. First of all they believe in God not god. Secondly, he doesn't exactly "live in the clouds." (I don't know where that came from) And nobody ever said he was magical. (At least not the Bible) And who is letting children starve? Man or God? Sin and evil came into the world as a result of man's sins. The Bible says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Now until you all try this, you can't say God doesn't answer prayer.

David

[Flail]

I want to know how, in this modern world, people still worship a god. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't even try to believe it. I see no logic in it at all, to believe in a magical being that lives in the clouds. You can't possibly truly believe in it all. If you do, then humans are more clueless than i thought. Why worship someone who lets children starve everyday? If he has the power to stop it, and doesn't, then he is malevolent. But if he doesn't have the power, he is not a god. And if god created freewill and is omnipotent, then he would already know about all the horrible things in the world that would happen, and could have stopped it. And if he's omnipotent, whats the point of praying? Your prayers would have already been heard. And no one's prayers have been answered, so he is not worth worshiping, and therefore, is not a god. I'm not try to attack anyone, i just can't understand how anyone can believe all this.

Christians don't believe hardly any of the above. First of all they believe in God not god. Secondly, he doesn't exactly "live in the clouds." (I don't know where that came from) And nobody ever said he was magical. (At least not the Bible) And who is letting children starve? Man or God? Sin and evil came into the world as a result of man's sins. The Bible says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Now until you all try this, you can't say God doesn't answer prayer.

David

Have you turned from your wicked ways? What happens if you turn back? Do you have any evidence that your God has forgiven all of your sin? Do you have any evidence as to where God lives?

[DavidBG]

Have I turned from my wicked ways? Yes. As we all are though, I am not perfect.

What happens if I turn back? If I or anyone else were to turn back, they would be separated from God.

Where is God? He is omnipresent. I'll bet a lot of you will want to argue that, but I state this: Space is omnipresent (after a fashion). There is space everywhere. (on a scientific level anyway) God is even more so.

On a scientific level: Everything wrong you've ever done you'll continue to do throughout all eternity, except for one thing, God's forgiveness. He'll separate your sins as far as the east is from the west. And that is infinite distance.